En Garde

When Sarah Hanson-Young called out the abuse she received from male parliamentarians as slut-shaming, she sparked a national conversation about the rampant sexism in politics. Placing the responsibility on women to defend themselves is the same cheap trick as asking, why didn’t she just fight back? After witnessing verbal abuse levelled at female parliamentarians and public figures, Hanson-Young is convinced that now is the time to call it out and not retreat. Biography In 2007 Sarah Hanson-Young became the youngest woman elected to the Australian parliament. The Greens senator holds the Environment portfolio, along with responsibility for Communication and Arts and the Finance and Trade portfolios. She is a leader in equality, human rights and immigration policy.